The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1887-02-20
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
Mr.. Conkiing on Broadway-uc lsuIiics the
Courts-A Downtown Club Tho Two
Jocs--A story OF McClciian-Thc TORY
ytt,l Cose.
Especial Corrcspondcnco.l

Especial Corrcspondcnce.l
New YoRR, February II, 1887
meet Mr.. Conkling occasionally on Broad
way. lie owns the thoroughfarc-or looks as
If he thought he did When he first came here
to practice law, he got the impression In some
way that he held the fce-smple of the court.
house and had mortgage on most of
the courts which he could forcclosc at will; and
his conduct before some Of the Judges was very
dicta,orial. One of them Surrogate Rollins, a
personal follower, rather encouraged him In
his domincering manners, hut some Of the
others sat down upon him until he began to un-
dcrs,and that he wasn't in caucus room. His
sionaly quite brutal, and I used to wonder that
they did not resent II. Mr.. Evarts used to
smile at his conduct and reply TO him in that
dcmolishing logic which he has always ready
for immediate application; hut Mr.. Evarts's
partner, Mr.. Joseph H. Choate, once or twice
applied his sarcasm to Mr.. Conklng, and by
making him ridiculous also made him little
more polite. His offensive manner In debate
is, however, ingram in his nature. He cannot
conceal a sneer, for one habitually rests upon
his face. Before Judge, as before "listcning
scnates," Conkling is n pouter pigeon In ap-
I
where his cloqueuce could avail him, and he
has been found sadly deficient in logic and legal
lore When he first appeared here, lawyers
were afraid of him; clients locked to him as II
| the magic of his name was going to do full duty
for eloquencc and logic; but the lawyers now
say that his long career in politics has not aided
to make Mr., Conkling a great lawyer, aud do
not hear of his appearing for great number of
i,t, mt a, M la In
have lost all interest in politics--exccrt when
Blaine is candidate, and then YOU may expect
him to take an active part In trying TO defeat
the great Republican leader. He can never do
this again Blaine was not hurt so much In
1884 by Conkling as by Burchard, and the
was supposed to I've al-powerful was found to
have been greatly impaired His influence has
still further wancd since then, and NAV be prac-
tically nil in another year.
Almost every branch of trade in this city has
its downtown day club Their places are
practically lunching rooms, nt which members
gather at noon FOR the purpose, mainly OF eat
ing (and some drinking) and little social
not business intercourse. They are the old
style coiTec-houses OF the merchants of two
generations ago, but on a bigger scale. The
lawyers have Just organized their Down
Town Club and ii is already one of the largest
in membership in the city Its success was so
immediate and so unexpected that the small
quarters originally engaged for 1t were given up,
and very much larger rooms-fourtcen In all
have been engaged and are now being fitted up.
They are on the fifth floor of the Equitable build
ing, at an elevation giving fine view of the city
and all of the harbor and North River. The
/. library is the main room. 1t has frontage Of
eighty feet on Broadway, and is thirty feet
wide-a sufficient space, apparently. to store
all the legal lore that the entire profession could
, carry in its head. There Is a smoking-room, Of
course big dining-room and any number
of smaller lunch-rooms. as matter of
+ necessity; and private dining-room for
ladies, as q matter of gallantry and lux.
ury. There is bathroom but for what
reason don't know. The most distinguished
lawyers in the city are among the four hundred
, enrolled members. speak of this club to EN-
, phasize one peculiar feature of interest to law
yers living in other cities. II admits non-res
: dents to temporary membership, which the
downtown clubs generally do not The ad
. vantage of such membership will be apparent tt
o almost every lawyer who has occasion to come
here often. They will have the use of the
: library, for instance, while trying causes ant
the club will serve, in a certain sense, as work
ing Office. 1t will be a safe and positive ad
dress for letters-a very important thing in
big city, with the delivery system, such Al
wehavehere Agreeable and valuable acquaint
ances can always be made In such places. Til,
u rooms will be ready for occupancy in May
: Nonresident membership will be only fft,
!, dollars year. Full particulars can be had o
u the secretary, Charles Henry Butler room 36
n
d self vast hive of lawyers and real-estate deal
u ers. lie is not Nothing-to-Wear Butler-hi
. name is William Allen Butler-but he is In tn
y same building, and is, | think. son of tn
y grim blocking humorst who created ''Miss Flor
=, McFlimsey, of Madison Square, The fathe
u is one of the most serous-looking of men, an,
g. never see him but wonder how it is possibl
- that he could ever have had as much humor Il
y him as oozed out in that once celebrated an,
i still oft-quoted satirical poem.
pf ny cd nn roc
y ciliation of the 1.-TWO Jocs,' meaning Josep
Pulitzer and Joseph Howard. rather regre
T. hear this, for it will give Howard greater ei
o ure to carry out his designs upon my head fo
= my allusion to him in former letter. | loo
both ways when walking the streets, for fear
may not detect his presence in time to escap
= around the nearest corner. II this correspond
u ence should suddenly cease after this letter, 20
~, 4. may rightly attribute the cause to Howard.
~ S. |, too, wear eyeglasses, and in fight am gel
ne orally the first to quit discounted and blind.
70 The eyeglass will serve as very good excus
~ for non-combatant. 1t did full duty duru
~ the war But the funniest excuse l have ev,
lu heard for running away from fight was give
,io io me by Levy, the cornetst. He had been gvin
ne me an account of his being most grossly al
W. | outrageously insulted by man whom kne
sc to be much smaller than he; and, amazed tn
" | Levy should submit TO insult from such pun
ST. fellow, l said, ''Of course you knocked hi
down. mo, no, my dear boy" was the repl
II ran away-across the street. You see it /
> stan'ly flashed across my mind that II got
lighting he might cut my lip, you know, al
the greatest living cornctist would be lost to Il
world!' ] am reminded by this to tell an ane
sht dotc Of that little Napoleonic humbug Of 4
of war, George b. Mcclellan, which was told I
ub as all actual fact by the late William H. Side
lie at one time on McClellan's staff and sub.
the quently on that Of Don Carlos Buell., who sav
vas Sherman and Grant at Shiloh. Mcclellan W
nts commanding the Army Of the Potomac, and
yer family was summering at a watering-place
t.l, l..II l..t Hoe,
Ugh some sort of duty, Dana in the Tribune h
uld raised the cry Of "On to Richmond" for whi
YES Horace Greeley got the credit, and against
Of policy Of which, | am told, he was continua
on, protesting to his managing editor. The pr,
,ro- generally took up the cry and there were ott
test kinds Of pressure brought to bear on McClell
At | to move; but lie moved not. In letter to o
lky of his relatives, read to sdell, Mcclellan
ice. luded TO this constant demand on him to mo-
, OF and excused delay by saying that his army
are not ready to fight, and adding, "lf / NOV
al now we should probably be defeated In the Il
,efs engagement, and then what would become
'rp, meS' Nothing about the Army, the Capt.
II the Nation, or the Cause Only poor, insign
uld cant Me.-with big VI.
hey ! alluded last week Ia some effective rap
r thrus's OF the Sun at its enemies, Yestert
get the Stul copied that part of the letter, and
To the same page INDUCED In what was intended
ub be a rapicr thrust at the World, but which pro,
era but duh broad-sword blow. without effe
For some time past the H.rdM has b,
t. Indulging IN compliments Of Col. John
Cockerill managing editor Of the World,
whom 1t gave the full credit Of what succ
nan the HoTdld is willing To admit the World un
lcnt Mr. Pulitzer may have attained. All this Is
Ilng tended evidently tO create breach bctw,
~ ~ Mr. Pulitzer aud Col Cockerill. The sa
inw trick has been played quite frequently on
Ur Bennett with success, for Mr.. Bennett can
p1n bear to hear any Of his employees mentioned
Ilcd any way that Identifies him with the success
llnn the paper Yesterday the sun tried the sa
III nis tactics-alluded 10 Col. Cockerll as that q
viii and distinguished Journalist, man Of bra
dis, knowledge, and good manners, without VIII
.ncu the World would stl have been struggling
lon, outer darkness, aud announced that Mr..
Ihh litter had hcen compelled Ia submit Ia mort
,,,I,' Ing conditions Ia retain Col. COckerll's
NJ vices. The thrust wasn't worthy of the
imh anl u fell harmless. happen Ia know
u nf both Mr. Pulitzer and Col. COckerill fully
ANA deFstand the motive nf all these praises,
NJ quietly laugh NJ them Col, tOckehll I
,s,,a, a. tiockhOldcr In the paper aud has salar
!, to slg,Doc year,
al. am iOld tha, the libel suit Uf Mr.. II
e.. against the Hurid l. likely to develop a eur
lHis ] fasp a mist IDENTITY and Inlsa imuefst